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gregoridanu
Reviews
Years and Years (2019)
Disappointing and Panders
Ultimately, this show panders to every hot topic issue. Nothing new is learnt and not much is innovative. Satirically, it presents as just that - but the characters feel empty.
I'd recommend reading books that like 'THE ROAD' for its subtly and 'DOWN AND RISING' for its innovation.
'Years and Years' tries to be too current with what point, though?
Licence to Kill (1989)
Might not be the no.1 Bond movie, but Dalton is my favourite Bond
The Bond film series has been with us since the early sixties and for a character to stand the test of time, there requires a certain reinvention and reinvigoration for it to maintain longevity. Opinions are subjective as we all know, so make of this what you will.
'Licence to Kill' is one of the top five best Bond movies of all time along with it's powerhouse theme song. Up until this particular picture, we were introduced to Sean Connery's unique suave, set against an array of exotic backdrops and a strong supporting cast. George Lazenby, although criticised for being boring, offered us some great action sequences in his short time as the British spy. A sophisticated edge that was overpowered by it's comical tone throughout his run, Roger Moore took the reins during the 70's and early 80's. Then in 1987, Welsh actor Timothy Dalton donned the role of 007.
With 'The Living Daylights' establishing Dalton as James Bond, we were given fair warning on the tonal shift. Given this was the 80's, where a number of films were heavily inclusive of hard 'R' violence - 'Licence to Kill' adapted and not only brought us a visceral Bond film, but as many film historians have cited, one of the, if not the closest portrayals of Ian's Flemming's character.
For those giving current Bond actor, Daniel Craig the credit (or hate in some cases) for a cold and stoic interpretation of the character, I suggest you watch the Timothy Dalton Bond films, because this is where it started.
In 'Licence to Kill', Bond is essentially a one many army taking on a South American cocaine czar. This is a James Bond that up until this point was never seen like this on screen before. His best friends are maimed, he's stripped of his rank, his government and as it relates to the title - his licence to kill is revoked. He is left with almost nothing aside from his skills and weapons expert, Q.
Dalton plays Bond as a wounded wolf with a sensitivity and vulnerability visible in his eyes and the way he emotes. As opposed to his predecessors, Dalton plays the character with an introspective approach, where you can feel the torment and tension bubbling inside. Even when he smiles, there is pain, reminding us of what he has endured as a human being.
Bond's antagonist is played by Robert Davi - another underrated performer known mostly for his roles as a villain. He plays a drug king with a code, where loyalty seems to matter more than the money. We are immediately set with these two huge characters on a road to collision; the dark angel's raid on the reaper that claimed the lives and elements that held Bond together.
The whole film is non-stop and that also reflects the carnage and violence. The climactic chase is one of the best with the inclusion of trucks, jeeps and a plane against a beautiful Mexican mountain view.
As a huge proponent for Timothy Dalton's Bond, I advise any fans of the series to watch or re- watch his incarnations. Hopefully an appreciation will come about for how truly great and underrated he was.
PREMature (2015)
Unrelenting in Presentation and Unforgettable in Story
No spoilers.
PREMature is one of the those dramas that if by chance, you manage to catch it, you're curious from the get go.
This was the case with me when I caught the middle of the 5th episode late night on TV. I watched about 3/4 minutes of it and stopped, so I could google the show. Reading about it, I got a little more curious!
I finally got around to watching the show from the very beginning and only had intentions to watch the first episode. Normally with shows, I give them a chance because admittedly, I have little patience these days and that sucks, I know.
About 4/5 hours later, my Saturday evening is gone and I'm sitting there in front of my laptop after the final episode thinking to myself, "okay, let's process this slowly." The reason is, I was overwhelmed emotionally and just invested in the world of this drama and it wasn't much of a stretch because of the legitimacy of what I saw. It's difficult to explain and I would venture to say that this is more of an experience rather than a show. There was something very different that I felt and maybe it was because of how real it felt or maybe how just tragically honest it all was.
I give this show a 9/10 and not a 10/10 because I wanted just a little more from one or two of the smaller characters. Maybe that's just a personal thing and it's in credit to the show as I felt really involved with those particular characters. I wanted to know more about the bullies as I'm sure they weren't there just as nihilistic figures.
That said, this was just relentless and experiential.
Message I took was that life sucks, but there is hope and we find this through our relationships with certain individuals in ours lives to make it through the hard times.